Greece will simplify the issuance of Schengen visas

Greek authorities demanded that diplomatic and consular institutions abroad simplify the issuance of visas to citizens of countries that are not part of the European Union. According to RIA Novosti , the Greeks intend to issue Schengen visas faster and for a longer period, and for some categories of applicants a visa will even become free.

Such a decision of the Greece authorities was made due to the fact that tourism leading the branch of the Greek economy, which is in a difficult crisis.

Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas instructed consulates around the world to issue visas for a period of six months to five years to those applicants who often come to Greece. Processing the application for a visa should not take more than 48 hours from the moment the questionnaire is received, except for a number of special cases regulated by European law.

The Foreign Ministry also ordered consular services to use all the possibilities to issue visas to a number of applicants for free. Children under 12 years of age, students, students and teachers who go to Greece with educational purposes, scientists, youth up to 25 years old, who come to Greece to participate in seminars, conferences, sports competitions and cultural events that are held by non -profit organizations, fall under this category.

Dimas noted that these measures do not contradict the rules of the Schengen agreement, but correspond to the goal of Greece, which considers tourism the priority of its policy.

Some of the measures mentioned by Dimas, including the design of visas within two days and the issuance of free visas to a number of categories of tourists, has already been implemented at Greece consulates in Russia. Nevertheless, despite the repeated assurances of the Greek authorities over the past two years, it is still not easy to achieve a long-term visa to Greece.